Murakami’s Book of Conversations with Conductor Seiji Ozawa Disappoints
Absolutely on Music isn’t likely to satisfy fans of Murakami’s books or Ozawa’s music. by Ned Lannamann The details of Seiji Ozawa’s life are impressive: The Japanese conductor was one of the first...
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Noteworthy shows for the week of December 21-27. by Mercury Staff WEDNESDAY 12/21THE BLIND SHAKE, PAUL CARY, FIRE NUNS(Bunk Bar, 41 SE Taylor) Someone should do an investigative report on what Jim and...
View ArticleLaura Jane Grace’s True Trans Soul Rebellion
The Against Me! singer’s new memoir arrives at a critical time. by Santi Elijah Holley Rock ’n’ roll memoirs have become a genre all their own, usually telling similar stories of fame, sex, alcohol,...
View ArticleMatt Braunger is Made of Mistakes
Examining life’s fuck-ups with the Portland-raised comedian. by William Kennedy On the eve of 2017, Matt Braunger is considering his New Year’s resolution. “Be a good husband,” he decides, riffing...
View ArticleThe Best Records of 2016
Here are the best records of 2016, as selected by the Mercury’s music staff. by Mercury Music Staff 1. Mal Devisa, Kiid 2. Frankie Cosmos, Next Thing 3. Sister Grotto, You Don’t Have to Be a House to...
View ArticleThe Best of 2016
The Mercury music staff describes the moments when music lessened the impact of this terrible year. by Mercury Music Staff I RECENTLY DECIDED to spend a quiet Sunday re-watching Dolly Parton’s...
View ArticleThe New Year’s Party Mega List
Say farewell to the sad old year with our citywide New Year’s Eve guide by Mercury Staff It’s been a rough and confusing year. And while there’s no promise that 2017 is going to get a whole lot...
View ArticleLion: Get Ready To Cry!
😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 by Eric D. Snider LION is the incredible true story of why you should never have children in India. Based on Saroo Brierley’s memoir A Long Way Home, the film, an inspiring drama that earns...
View ArticleElle and Paul Verhoeven’s Twisted Return
All hail Isabelle Huppert! by Andrew Wright PAUL VERHOEVEN'S American phase was too nasty to last, really, with movies like RoboCop and Starship Troopers giving the audience what they initially...
View ArticleStuck on Passengers' Busted Spaceship
At least Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt are stuck onboard too? by Erik Henriksen BEAUTIFUL AND MEDIOCRE, Passengers starts, at least, with a fantastic concept: Onboard the Avalon—a spaceship...
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Things To Do Film
Reviews of Assassin's Creed, Why Him?, and more! The Accountant It’s not hard to imagine how Ben Affleck was convinced to sign on to The Accountant. “Hey Benny!” director Gavin O’Connor shouted into...
View ArticlePortland’s 911 System Has a Gaping Flaw
If you get disconnected while on hold with 911, the city has no idea you called. by Doug Brown It was just after 3 am on May 7 when Betty Fry’s small old house in Southeast Portland’s Sunnyside...
View ArticleFrom Massive Sweeps to Legal Camping, No Portland Mayor Has Wrestled with...
So how’d he do? by Dirk VanderHart On December 10, exactly three weeks from Mayor Charlie Hales’ last day in office, Portland solved veterans’ homelessness.Sort of.Thanks to years of work (and...
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Good Morning, News: Obama Bans Oil Drilling, "Harry Potter Bandit" Captured,...
by Wm.™ Steven Humphrey GOOD MORNING, BLOGTOWN! Oh, it's a yum-yummy world made for sweethearts. Take a walk with your favorite girl. LET'S GO TO PRESS.An eight-year-old suffered minor injuries from a...
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Reviewing the Year in Weed
by Josh Jardine ISTOCK / GASPR13As we wrap up 2016—a year that, for many, has been filled with a distressing degree of loss, fear, and historical division—let’s take a look back at these past 12...
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Mayor-Elect Ted Wheeler Will Hand Out Bureau Assignments, Then Snatch Them Back
by Dirk VanderHart Doug BrownPortland's four city commissioners will know what city bureaus they've been tapped to oversee under Mayor Ted Wheeler on January 3. Then they'll have three months to prove...
View ArticleI Dispense As Well
by Anonymous How could it go wrong? Selling legal weed to willing buyers? After passing ID's back and forth three or four times (as required by law?), I'm predisposed to be pissed off already. It...
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Things to Do Tonight!
by Mercury Staff Re-run Theater: Holiday Special Double Feature The Hollywood celebrates not only the Christmas season, but five years of bringing the absolute best—and the cringiest—of television...
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Sorry, Trump Voters. Women Are Already Punished for Having Abortions
by Megan Burbank Abortion is a common, low-risk medical procedure. We live in a country committed to ignoring this basic fact.Joel Carillet / iStockYesterday was a shitty day if you care about...
View ArticleTop Five Christmas Songs: Ned Lannamann's List
by Ned Lannamann A few of us Mercury staffers are sharing their top five Christmas songs on Blogtown this week. I'm going first, but as you'll see, my list is the only one that matters. Despite the...
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